JAPAN LIFTS OWN BLANKET ARMS EXPORT BAN

TOKYO: Japan on Tuesday lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports, introducing new rules covering the arms trade in a move supporters say will boost Tokyo’s global role, but which unnerved China. The cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a new plan that replaces the 1967 blanket ban, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. Under the policy, arms sales are banned to conflict-plagued countries or nations that could undermine international peace and security, and the sales must contribute to international peace and boost officially pacifist Japan’s security.